Overland Journal Project Land Rover Discovery 4 (LR4)

[Mack73]

Honestly that was what I would like but not at the expense of the brake change. I have an extremely hard time potentially reducing stopping power. I love the brakes on my LR3.

I didn't post it in my thread on 17's. But I cannot feel a difference from the v6 brakes. The caliper is the same and it was spec'd by landrover that way. I imagine the only difference is slightly increased brake fade as the rotor is slightly smaller in diameter.

The caliper provides the stopping power. The rotor is there to dissipate the heat. If you want to increase stopping power you upgrade the calipers. If you want to prevent brake fade, you upgrade the rotor.

 

[PhyrraM]

.....The caliper provides the stopping power. The rotor is there to dissipate the heat. If you want to increase stopping power you upgrade the calipers. If you want to prevent brake fade, you upgrade the rotor.

A larger rotor provides more leverage - so the system can develop more torque given the same caliper and brake fluid pressure. The rotor does play a large part in thermal capacity. Actual maximum braking force is determined by the tires as long as the brakes can develop enough torque to lock them in a given situation.

I have a feeling that V6 brakes are more than adequate. Land Rover saw fit to put HDC and Traction Control on models with all the brake sizes and those features can overheat brakes in short order if the truck is used hard.

 

[nwoods]

My LR3 had the V6 brakes, and oversized tires, it had no problems whatsoever in braking performance. And it fit 17" wheels. I ended up swapping out the brakes to a guy building a Baja500 version of the LR3, so I had a direct comparison in performance between the V6 brakes and the V8 brakes. I could detect no discernible differences in operation, performance, or wear, and I'm pretty in tune with such things.

 

[brickpaul65]

I really like that you guys provided input and feedback. There is a lot of great knowledge sharing on this forum. I was worried that someone might read my post as a criticism of their decision instead of my lack of knowledge of the effect of the change.

 

[Mack73]

A larger rotor provides more leverage - so the system can develop more torque given the same caliper and brake fluid pressure. The rotor does play a large part in thermal capacity. Actual maximum braking force is determined by the tires as long as the brakes can develop enough torque to lock them in a given situation.

I have a feeling that V6 brakes are more than adequate. Land Rover saw fit to put HDC and Traction Control on models with all the brake sizes and those features can overheat brakes in short order if the truck is used hard.

While I agree in theory. In reality the difference is negligible. Here's a StopTech evaluation. http://zeckhausen.com/Testing_Brakes.htm

 

[A.J.M]

Not to throw a spanner in the works, but many of us UK tdv6 driver's are upgrading to V8 disc's to get better brake performance as many feel they are a bit lacking in bite.

The v6/v8 use the same caliper and pads, but have larger disc's and have different caliper carrier's.

Many are doing it to get better stopping power to cope with the remapped tdv6's which are knocking on V8 performance ability.
I'm currently pricing up the upgrade, i can get the full system for under £240.

That's not going into the genuine/aftermarket drilled and grooved disc's and upgraded pads.

 

[Mack73]

Not to throw a spanner in the works, but many of us UK tdv6 driver's are upgrading to V8 disc's to get better brake performance as many feel they are a bit lacking in bite.

The v6/v8 use the same caliper and pads, but have larger disc's and have different caliper carrier's.

Many are doing it to get better stopping power to cope with the remapped tdv6's which are knocking on V8 performance ability.
I'm currently pricing up the upgrade, i can get the full system for under £240.

That's not going into the genuine/aftermarket drilled and grooved disc's and upgraded pads.

No wrench throw here. If the complaint is lack of initial bite, switch the brake pads. There are brake pads that cause wear on the rotors - those are the ones you want if you need more bite. Other pads don't wear the rotors as aggressively and may lack "bite". My guess is you UK guys are using these.

Also slotted rotors will gain "bite" as well with the additional edges that catch the pad.

 

[rover80]

All ready for SEMA. I am looking forward to getting the truck (really) dirty and seeing how these new Land Rovers hold-up to real world exploration.

Here is a quick shot of the rear drawer system and sleeping platform. It allows easy use of the two rear side seats (the fridge stays in place), as those boxes remove in just a few minutes. The drawers should hold all of my kit with maybe just a few soft bags of clothes and bedding lashed in the back.

Scott, did you ever do a build on your draw system in the back, it looks fantastic an wondered how you did it, etc. would really like something similar,

Cheers Nate

 

[Scott Brady]

Nate,

The drawer system was designed by Ray in our office, in collaboration with Adventure Trailers (AT). AT built and installed the system. It is lightweight (compared to wood and steel), made from composite panels and serves as a sleeping surface. The front boxes are easily removed to allow four-person travel. I tend to leave it in the two-person configuration and use the box behind the driver for camera gear.

 

[brickpaul65]

http://store.toddcosuspensions.com/larolr3diiii1.html

I don't believe that this build used spacers on top of the air struts correct? Is there a reason? Are the strut spacers a poor method to lift the vehicle? I am not overly mechanical minded (not the sharpest tool in my tiny box of talents).

It looks to me that these raise the vehicle without increasing bag extension, is that correct? What are the drawbacks (or method of the lift if my understanding is incorrect)? I am just curious because this is the second place I have seen this type of lift.

 

[PhyrraM]

http://store.toddcosuspensions.com/larolr3diiii1.html

I don't believe that this build used spacers on top of the air struts correct? Is there a reason? Are the strut spacers a poor method to lift the vehicle? I am not overly mechanical minded (not the sharpest tool in my tiny box of talents).

It looks to me that these raise the vehicle without increasing bag extension, is that correct? What are the drawbacks (or method of the lift if my understanding is incorrect)? I am just curious because this is the second place I have seen this type of lift.

While I'm sure those with more experience will chime in, here is somethings to help refine your search.

Those spacers will not raise a vehicle on their own. The height is controlled by the computer through the height sensors, which are not mounted on the struts. So, the computer will just 'deflate' the 'raised' strut back down to the original height. Or, to phrase it another way, installing those spacers will make the truck ride at the same height with less extension of the strut. EDIT, just noticed they do include the lift linkages.

What they may do is put the strut back into a 'normal' range of travel after a software or linkage lift. I have also read that moving the top of the strut like that *MAY* put it very close to the control arm and in certain situations it might contact and over time wear a hole into the air bag. This is where others can help more.

 

[Scott Brady]

The spacers are an airbag clearance issue and can cause wear and bag failure with hard use.

Just install the Johnson Rods and then use the IID Tool to adjust if necessary. The rods work perfect and lift to the maximum that still allows alignment correction. We have already run 7,000+ miles with the rods on and no issues.

 

[Scott Brady]

For those of you who follow instagram, Sinuhe Xavier will be taking the LR4 through the wilds of Utah and posting images over the next few weeks on the expoportal instagram feed.
http://instagram.com/expoportal

 

[brickpaul65]

Thanks. I am glad that the rods and the IID tool perform great.

 

[Scott Brady]

The first few images from the field. Grand Staircase Escalante

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